The fame of Jesus was spreading rapidly among the people. I think because of His ability to heal and cast out demons. I think his hatred among the religious leaders was spreading because He spoke the truth and drew large crowds. When Jesus spoke in the Synagogue in Nazareth, his childhood home, the religious leaders got angry at His teaching and attempted to throw him down a hill (Luke 4:28-30). So He moved His home to Capernaum a small fishing village on the sea shore of the Sea of Galilee. The village was the home of Peter, James, John, Andrew and Matthew. It is evident that Jesus did not own a house there or anywhere else for He said in Matthew 8:20, that birds have nests, and foxes have holes but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. One of the families of the village may have provided a room for Him. Throughout Jesus\’ ministry, He taught in the Synagogues and the homes of those who believed in Him.
The first point of this lesson is to make room for Jesus in your heart and He will always be in your home.
RUN TO JESUS AND BE BLESSED
V.2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
When you teach the Word of God it would be encouraging if people came because of their love for the Word. I think many in the crowds that Jesus drew were because He was a doctor. The cure for everything. To clean a fish, you have to first catch the fish. Jesus was a fisher of men. His bait was his healing power and the cleaning was the Word of God (Matthew 4:19). Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, we need a way to get people to the hearing stage. I think God places needs in our lives that can only be satisfied by Jesus. We have heard, we have seen and we have testimonies to His work in the lives of others and ours. This should be enough for us to run to Jesus. We will crowd the stadiums to see a popular singer. We will pay hundreds of dollars for a night of entertainment to someone who doesn\’t know us and could care less about us. Let me suggest we don’t make excuses to get to Jesus. Let me also suggest that we pay our tithes and offerings to the one who gives us life and all we need. Let\’s run to Jesus for His Love, compassion, and forgiving spirit.
WE ARE BLESSED BY OUR BELIEF IN JESUS
V: 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
We have four, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and ourselves to bring others to one who can help. We are all broken in some way and need the help that only Jesus can provide. To have friends who recognize our needs and take the time to bring us to Jesus is a great blessing. The paralytic was blessed with friends. The friends came determined to get to Jesus. By the time they got to the house, there was standing room only. Can you imagine climbing to the top of a roof and hoisting a man on a stretcher? Can you imagine someone tearing a big hole in your roof without your consent for any reason? Can you imagine seeing the hole in your roof with debris falling on the floor and a man coming through on a stretcher? Quite a sight to the spectators, but maybe quite a horror to the owner of the house. Who fixed the hole in the roof when Jesus left the house? To get to Jesus, sometimes protocol, rules, and regulations have to be disregarded. Jesus will help us face the consequences of our actions to bring a soul to Him. Is the salvation of a person worth a hole in a roof? While the text does not tell us, I am sure the roof was repaired by the men who created the hole.
HEALED BY FAITH
V:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, \”Son, your sins are forgiven.\”6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 \”Why does this fellow talk like that? He\’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?\”
Notice Jesus only calls believers Sons. I conclude that the paralytic and his friends were believers. Jesus is not surprised by what we do to get to Him. He honors our effort and determination to do good. Was it the faith of the four men or the faith of the five that caused Jesus to heal the paralytic? Jesus does not tell us, but the important thing is God got the glory. Three things Jesus did in His response to their faith. He established before the crowd that He had the power and authority to forgive sin. He also established that sin is the cause of all illnesses. He was not an ordinary man. He was a man with the power of God. Every religious person will not be pleased with your faith in Jesus. Some will find fault in what you do. Sometimes too much education is the reason some cannot believe in Jesus. It was only the educated teachers who could not see the glory of God. They were too educated to believe the prophecies about the Messiah that they taught. They called Jesus a blasphemer having watched Him do the work of God many times before. Some people show up at church looking for gossip to spread. Wouldn’t it be nice if the gossip was about the love and compassion of believers?
YOU CAN’T HIDE YOUR THOUGHTS FROM JESUS
V:8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, \”Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, \’Your sins are forgiven,\’ or to say, \’Get up, take your mat and walk\’?
Jesus is always a step ahead of your thoughts because he is omniscient. Whatever you are thinking, He knows the reason and the motive. Jesus has the proper response to bring light to a dark situation. It is just as easy to say something good as it is the say something bad. It is just as easy to encourage as it is to discourage. Jesus gave two choices, both were good and appropriate. Your sins are forgiven which He has the power to do. Take up your mat and walk which was His authority to heal. Jesus stepped down out of heaven to be the ransom for our sins and to make us whole.
OBEY THE COMMANDS OF JESUS AND BE BLESSED
V: 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .\” He said to the paralytic, 11 \”I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.\” 12 He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, \”We have never seen anything like this!\”
The phrase the Son Of Man indicates Jesus\’ humanity, While fully God, He was also full man closed in flesh and blood. He came down from heaven with the same power and authority He had in Heaven. He showed those who refused to believe in Him that He had the authority to forgive sins and the power to heal The man was paralyzed not able to walk or stand on His feet. Notice the healing was instantaneous. The paralytic man did not have to learn how to walk. At Jesus\’ command blood flowed to his legs and feet, his muscles were strengthened, and balance was given to him. He did not have to think about whether he could walk, He got up and walked. It took faith to believe he got what he came to Jesus for.
The second point in this lesson is this;
It is up to us to believe when we come to Jesus with a prayer request, tha it is granted as soon as it is received by Jesus.
The Apostle James said it best;
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:6-8)
The third point in this lesson is we are all given trials and tribulations to grow our faith, to be a testimony to other believers, and most importantly to glorify the Father. The Apostle James said it this way;
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-5 NIV)
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.(James 1:12 NIV)
Be blessed my brothers and sisters by the Word of God.
I was always of the impression that the title “son of man” was a reference to the apocalyptic title used in Daniel 7:13? I find it strange that you did not even bother to comment or offer some commentary on Daniel 7:13, instead you just insisted that “son of man” must indicate Jesus’ humanity without providing any evidence of your claim.
You sir are wrong!
The Jews during Jesus’ time and today still believe what the Hebrew Bible states Messiah will in the future be!
Now, read and learn the truth! The truth will set you free!
SIX REASONS WHY JEWS DON’T BELIEVE IN JESUS – or Why Jesus is Not the Jewish Messiah –with Julius Ciss.
Why has Judaism rejected this claim for 2,000 years?
Reason #1 – The Messiah must be from the Tribe of Judah and a Descendant of King David AND King Solomon – Jesus did not qualify.
The Messiah must be a member of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) and a direct descendant of King David & King Solomon (2 Samuel 7:12-14; 1 Chronicles 22:9-10). Genealogy in the Bible is only passed down from father to son (Numbers 1:1-18).
There is no evidence that Jesus really had this pedigree, and the Christian Bible actually claims that he did not have a “birth-father” from the tribe of Judah descending from King David and King Solomon (Matt. 1:18-20).
Reason #2 – Ingathering of the Jewish Exiles – Jesus did not do this.
When the Messiah is reigning as King of Israel, the Jews will be ingathered from their exile and will return to Israel, their homeland (Deut. 30:3; Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 30:3, 32:37; Ezekiel 11:17, 36:24).
This has clearly not yet happened and we still await its fulfillment.
Reason #3– Rebuilding of the Holy Temple – Jesus failed to achieve this.
The Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt (Isaiah 2:2-3, 56:6-7, 60:7, 66:20; Ezekiel 37:26–27; Malachi 3:4; Zech. 14:20-21).
The Temple was still standing in Jesus’ day. It was destroyed 38 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and it has not yet been rebuilt.
Reason #4– Worldwide Reign of Peace – Jesus did not accomplish this.
There will be universal disarmament and worldwide peace with a complete end to war (Micah 4:1-4; Hoseah 2:20; Isaiah 2:1-4, 60:18).
Wars have increased dramatically in the world since the start of Christianity.
Reason #5 – Observance of the Torah Embraced by All Jews – Jesus didn’t bring this about.
The Messiah will reign as King at a time when all the Jewish people will observe G-d’s commandments (Ezekiel 37:24; Deut. 30:8,10; Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:26-27).
Jesus never ruled as King, nor have all Jews embraced the commandments of G-d’s Torah.
Reason #6 – Universal Knowledge of G-d – Jesus clearly failed here also.
The Messiah will rule at a time when all the people of the world will come to acknowledge and serve the one true G-d (Zechariah 3:9, 8:23,14:9,16; Isaiah 45:23, 66:23; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 38:23; Psalm 86:9; Zeph. 3:9).
This, as well, has not yet taken place and we await its fulfillment.
No matter how many unusual & miraculous things Jesus seems to accomplish in the New Testament, he doesn’t fulfill even one of the 6 criteria by which the Nation of Israel can recognize him as the true Jewish Messiah.
The Bible itself isn’t self-evident. If it were then there wouldn’t be 30k protestant denominations! However, Like most Protestant denominations, ‘Baptist’ is an umbrella term that covers a multitude of different and often conflicting theologies – Calvinists, Revivalists, Traditionalists, Fundamentalists. This fragmentation of Protestantism – almost immediately after the Reformation – by itself exposes the fact that Sola Scriptura and the idea that ‘scripture is somewhat self-interpreting’ is false.
So, please stop pretending to be a Reverend, Pastor, of an imposter church! You will never find truth and wholeness in any of the Protestant denominations. Return to the one Holy and Universal Church! When you seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) in other words the Church you will then find the true interpretation of the Bible and the correct theology.
Hey Rev Mitchell
I found this link https://www.pinterest.com/revmmitchell615/ .
Is that you? Is it?
If it is….
I have to say that you are not and were never at any time the assistant Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church!
That by the way is not the kind of title that you can just give yourself or something that you can just claim to be!
I am sorry, very sorry if you got your little feelings hurt! When you finally woke up to the truth!
But, man to run away from our Church and the place that you claimed to Pastor just because you didn’t get want you want is very sad!
I was blessed by your message!
Your message gave me some spiritual food for thought.
Thank you so much for keeping your blog going and going!
And, don’t pay attention to those negative faithless voices…
Rev Mitchell!
I am a long-time subscriber and got an e-mail notification that you had posted and updated the blog. Well, I haven’t spent too much time on here, but I am thankful that I got the notification this time around!
This was a meaty message and a deep post!
I really appreciate the work that you are doing!
Remember when you preach the word some crazy people might come out as you can see in some of the comments here! But preach man! Preach! because the word will also affect those like me who need to hear it!
Good message but don’t forget lifetime Christians.
I was born and raised in a Christian family. In fact I was baptized as a baby before I could even talk. I and those like me are 100% Christians. We, don’t need to run to Jesus because we were always with Jesus, right?
You made a brilliant point!
I never thought about it before but now that you point it out yes it was not the faith of the paralytic, but the faith and the faith in action of the paralytic friends that brought the paralytic to Jesus.
I wanted to say that I enjoyed reading “Run to Jesus and Be Blessed”!
It did not take too long for me to read this essay at all.
However, I am going to have to think through this a little more before I can figure out how to apply this in my life.
I was always of the impression that the title “son of man” was a reference to the apocalyptic title used in Daniel 7:13? I find it strange that you did not even bother to comment or offer some commentary on Daniel 7:13, instead you just insisted that “son of man” must indicate Jesus’ humanity without providing any evidence of your claim.
You sir are wrong!
The Jews during Jesus’ time and today still believe what the Hebrew Bible states Messiah will in the future be!
Now, read and learn the truth! The truth will set you free!
SIX REASONS WHY JEWS DON’T BELIEVE IN JESUS – or Why Jesus is Not the Jewish Messiah –with Julius Ciss.
Why has Judaism rejected this claim for 2,000 years?
Reason #1 – The Messiah must be from the Tribe of Judah and a Descendant of King David AND King Solomon – Jesus did not qualify.
The Messiah must be a member of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) and a direct descendant of King David & King Solomon (2 Samuel 7:12-14; 1 Chronicles 22:9-10). Genealogy in the Bible is only passed down from father to son (Numbers 1:1-18).
There is no evidence that Jesus really had this pedigree, and the Christian Bible actually claims that he did not have a “birth-father” from the tribe of Judah descending from King David and King Solomon (Matt. 1:18-20).
Reason #2 – Ingathering of the Jewish Exiles – Jesus did not do this.
When the Messiah is reigning as King of Israel, the Jews will be ingathered from their exile and will return to Israel, their homeland (Deut. 30:3; Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 30:3, 32:37; Ezekiel 11:17, 36:24).
This has clearly not yet happened and we still await its fulfillment.
Reason #3– Rebuilding of the Holy Temple – Jesus failed to achieve this.
The Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt (Isaiah 2:2-3, 56:6-7, 60:7, 66:20; Ezekiel 37:26–27; Malachi 3:4; Zech. 14:20-21).
The Temple was still standing in Jesus’ day. It was destroyed 38 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and it has not yet been rebuilt.
Reason #4– Worldwide Reign of Peace – Jesus did not accomplish this.
There will be universal disarmament and worldwide peace with a complete end to war (Micah 4:1-4; Hoseah 2:20; Isaiah 2:1-4, 60:18).
Wars have increased dramatically in the world since the start of Christianity.
Reason #5 – Observance of the Torah Embraced by All Jews – Jesus didn’t bring this about.
The Messiah will reign as King at a time when all the Jewish people will observe G-d’s commandments (Ezekiel 37:24; Deut. 30:8,10; Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:26-27).
Jesus never ruled as King, nor have all Jews embraced the commandments of G-d’s Torah.
Reason #6 – Universal Knowledge of G-d – Jesus clearly failed here also.
The Messiah will rule at a time when all the people of the world will come to acknowledge and serve the one true G-d (Zechariah 3:9, 8:23,14:9,16; Isaiah 45:23, 66:23; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 38:23; Psalm 86:9; Zeph. 3:9).
This, as well, has not yet taken place and we await its fulfillment.
No matter how many unusual & miraculous things Jesus seems to accomplish in the New Testament, he doesn’t fulfill even one of the 6 criteria by which the Nation of Israel can recognize him as the true Jewish Messiah.
Rev Mitchell,
I just wanna say thank ya for preaching the word!
The Bible itself isn’t self-evident. If it were then there wouldn’t be 30k protestant denominations! However, Like most Protestant denominations, ‘Baptist’ is an umbrella term that covers a multitude of different and often conflicting theologies – Calvinists, Revivalists, Traditionalists, Fundamentalists. This fragmentation of Protestantism – almost immediately after the Reformation – by itself exposes the fact that Sola Scriptura and the idea that ‘scripture is somewhat self-interpreting’ is false.
So, please stop pretending to be a Reverend, Pastor, of an imposter church! You will never find truth and wholeness in any of the Protestant denominations. Return to the one Holy and Universal Church! When you seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) in other words the Church you will then find the true interpretation of the Bible and the correct theology.
Hey Rev Mitchell
I found this link https://www.pinterest.com/revmmitchell615/ .
Is that you? Is it?
If it is….
I have to say that you are not and were never at any time the assistant Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church!
That by the way is not the kind of title that you can just give yourself or something that you can just claim to be!
I am sorry, very sorry if you got your little feelings hurt! When you finally woke up to the truth!
But, man to run away from our Church and the place that you claimed to Pastor just because you didn’t get want you want is very sad!
I was blessed by your message!
Your message gave me some spiritual food for thought.
Thank you so much for keeping your blog going and going!
And, don’t pay attention to those negative faithless voices…
Have a blessed day!
Rev Mitchell!
I am a long-time subscriber and got an e-mail notification that you had posted and updated the blog. Well, I haven’t spent too much time on here, but I am thankful that I got the notification this time around!
This was a meaty message and a deep post!
I really appreciate the work that you are doing!
Remember when you preach the word some crazy people might come out as you can see in some of the comments here! But preach man! Preach! because the word will also affect those like me who need to hear it!
Thank you and God bless you!
Thank you for reading from scripture and the words of wisdom
This is such a broken world we live in!
We need hope!
Oh, help me to find Jesus!
Where can I find Jesus and which of the numerous churches is the right place?
Good message but don’t forget lifetime Christians.
I was born and raised in a Christian family. In fact I was baptized as a baby before I could even talk. I and those like me are 100% Christians. We, don’t need to run to Jesus because we were always with Jesus, right?
Good message for those needed to come to Jesus
How do I come to Jesus?
You made a brilliant point!
I never thought about it before but now that you point it out yes it was not the faith of the paralytic, but the faith and the faith in action of the paralytic friends that brought the paralytic to Jesus.
Thank you Rev Mitchell
I wanted to say that I enjoyed reading “Run to Jesus and Be Blessed”!
It did not take too long for me to read this essay at all.
However, I am going to have to think through this a little more before I can figure out how to apply this in my life.